BlackYeti

@Spoolofwhool has already pointed out that Elantrians have been shown using AonDor in Teod. I would also take issue with your claim that the Dakhor use an internal source of Investiture rather than accessing the Dor. All of the Sellish magics are based around the Dor, Raoden even felt Dilaf accessing the Dor. This claim simply isn't supported by the text. The fact that the Dakhor do not appear to suffer from any reduction in their powers when in Teod, compared to when in Arelon, actually supports @Spoolofwhool's earlier idea of there being binary power levels. Either that or they have some other way of boosting their power. Actually, Teoish people can and do become Elantrians provided that they're living in Arelon. It's the reason that Hrathen's plan in the poisoning of Sarene worked so well: no one questioned that a Teoish woman had been taken by the Shaod.

The bonus scene from the 10th Aniversary version of Elantris describes them thus: So no, they're not red.

How's this for a crazy idea? We know that Cognitive Shadows are tied to a location unless they gain a body (Warbreaker Spoiler) What if, the Heralds are tied to Braize specifically, and in order to get to Roshar they first need to be given their bodies. Then, if they are killed they snap back to Braize because that's where they're tied to as Cognitive Shadows. This would mean that the reason they are confined to the Rosharan System is actually not because they are Cognitive Shadows, but something else. Perhaps their participation in the Oathpact (which we know is still functioning to some capacity even if the Heralds think they broke it) is keeping them there like it is also (possibly) keeping Odium in the System.

Well, far be it for me to attempt to stifle creativity. I still don't think that the Emperor's stamp would work, but it might be possible to craft a stamp which would have that effect. I think it would be easier to achieve it with Haemalurgy however.

I'm pretty sure that this is impossible. There's no way that the Emperor's stamp would take in Gaotona. Granted, Shai was able to forge a small part of his soul to resemble the Emperor's for about a minute, but that's a very different proposition from changing his entire soul to match the Emperor's. And as for Vasher forging himself to become Nightblood, that would surely be even more implausible: Vasher isn't a sword! Also since Nightblood isn't an Awakener, I'm doubtful that Vasher would be able to recover Nightblood's breath even if he somehow did manage it.

Really, it depends on the Order. A couple of relevant WoBs: Adolin's Shardblade was an Edgedancer spren, so it really depends on what the Edgedancers would have thought of it.

Hi, and welcome to the forums! As stated above, this is actually a very popular theory, here's just a few examples if you want to see what people are saying about it:

So, let me see if I understand you correctly: are you saying that two equivalently sized beads of atium could be composed of two different quantities of Investiture? Because I don't see how that would work, it's always been stated in the books that atium burns away fast, not that the burn rate is variable. Moreover, as it functions as a focus within the Metallic Arts, it must, therefore, have a consistent molecular structure (some kind of metallic lattice presumably), which would preclude the possibility of the density changing. Now since each Radiant spren type is composed of a specific combination of Honour and Cultivation's Investiture, it makes sense that the Shardblade for each spren type is its own god metal, and, therefore, that god metal would have a consistent “Investiture density” regardless of what size it was summoned at. And on the possibility of it changing shape: when Moash first picks up a Shardblade he comments on its weight, yet when Lift uses her Shardfork, it's apparently light enough for a teenage girl to wield without noticing it. Regardless of how it's shaped, a six-foot long sword is going to have more mass to it than a small fork, which is reflected in the weight. I'll admit that there's a small amount of wiggle room, but all the evidence seems to point to this being how it works right now, which is a far cry from your claim that there's no reason to believe it. Unless, of course, I'm misunderstanding what you meant by "Investiture density", and there's something obvious that I'm not seeing (which I wouldn't put past myself ).

But it surely has to be correct. If you have two objects that are comprised of the same "stuff" as each other, and one of those objects is larger than the other by mass, then it necessarily follows that one of those objects has more "stuff" in it than in the other. In the case of Shardblades, the "stuff" they are comprised of is solid physical Investiture, i.e. a god metal. Therefore the larger the Shardblade, the more Investiture must be manifested in order to form the blade.

Yes.

So this post may be a little pedantic, but your early modern English grammar is a little wrong. Specifically, the word "shalt": as I understand it this can only be used if it is immediately followed by the word "not", i.e. if you are forbidding something. Otherwise the word "shall" should be used instead. So, "Thou shalt not kill" is correct, but "Thou shall not kill" is wrong. And similarly, "Thou shalt value novelty above all else" is wrong. It should be "Thou shall value novelty above all else". Now, more on topic: if I remember the epilogue to The Way of Kings correctly, Hoid eventually settled not on novelty as the thing that people value the most, but instead on timeliness. He was using the discussion to point out that (the-man-who-may-or-may-not-be-but-almost-certainly-is) Taln had arrived late. Also if I might suggest, an Eleventh Commandment could be added from Elantris: "Thou shall find beauty in the fact that there are secrets which remain unknown".

For a long time now, I've been very confused about the correct placement of the Chasm line in the Aons. The main reason for this is due to my attempt to ratify this WoB with the text (and the map) from the 10th Anniversary edition of Elantris. After spending some time going over the relevant scene, and actually tracing Aon Rao over the map, I've come to the conclusion that the WoB has to be wrong. The text states: This clearly shows that the line is being drawn in a north-westerly direction, ending at the road leading southwards, just south of the southern gate. This is completely different from the WoB which appears to show it running north-easterly to the corner of Elantris' city wall. It does, however, match that which is depicted on the map. Since I've been unable to find a correct depiction of the chasm line anywhere on the internet, I've taken the liberty of creating my own for both the base Aon Aon, and Aon Rao: Note: in creating these I used @WeiryWriter's depiction of Aon Aon from the Coppermind since I found the dimensions were pretty much perfect. I didn't use his Aon Rao though since I found that the dimensions were a little off.

I don't think he's ever been asked about hordelings specifically, but we do know that it is possible to spike non-humans. And there's a brand new WoB as well: So, in short, I'd be amazed if you couldn't. Edit: because I didn't see @Argent's response before posting. I don't think we know whether any of the Vessels were a dragon or not, however, we do know that not all were human. And as there are only three intelligent species on Yolen, it does seem like a good bet.

I'd take all of that with a massive pinch heap of salt if I were you. It appears to be made up of speculation on the part of the author who doesn't seem to know any more about what's going on than we do. For instance, they state that the Thunderclasts are Parshendi that have covered themselves in rock as armour. Yet Dalinar's vision of the Thunderclast in Words of Radiance showed them to be creatures made of rock that are animated by a type of spren. And it speculates that it may not be possible to Soulcast anything with "material connected to a living soul", despite the fact that we see Jasnah do just that to the thugs in the Way of Kings. Basically, I don't think that we can draw any new conclusions from it.

Don't worry about it. I was just very keen to not inadvertently take credit for @Kanrei's work; that would have been seriously not cool. Everyone makes mistakes, though, so I wasn't so I wasn't trying to blame you. When Brandon comes to Britain there's a good chance that I'll be reporting on it then, but Poland is sadly too far away for me to make the journey. Also, I hadn't noticed your post count earlier, so let me belatedly say: welcome to the forums.

I don't think the Shin revere metal the same way they do with stone. Rather it seems to me that they instead have a problem with mining metal since that destroys the stone which they do revere. From the Way of Kings' Rysn interlude: I'm pretty sure that there is crem build-up. It's why Dalinar had problems getting onto the roof of Urithiru. From Chapter 89 of Words of Radiance:

I think you've got me confused with someone else: I wasn't at the event! You're right that I hadn't got it written down, but only insofar as I hadn't gotten any of the questions written down. So I was rather surprised to see myself mentioned there. (Unless of course, I have a doppelgänger. ) Anyway, good job with the question; as @Oversleep said, it's very much appreciated.

I seem to recall having a discussion with @Pathfinder a few years ago regarding this very issue. Here we go: I still maintain my position from that time: the forces would cancel each other out, leaving the Radiant weightless, unless they could lash different parts of the body in opposite directions. I find it interesting though that this appears to be the majority position this time around.

I second @WeiryWriter's answer to this. Speaking as someone with Asperger's syndrome (a kind of high-functioning autism), I can say with certainty that it is a fundamental part of my identity: it's absolutely not something that I would want to be "cured" of, even if you were to pay me for it. At the end of the day, all it really means is that I think differently to how most people do, and that's not a bad thing. What on Roshar makes you think that Kaladin will have feelings towards Jasnah? They seem completely unsuited for each other. Jasnah is, A) too old for him, and B ) far too much of a traditional lighteyes for him to be interested, surely.

I agree completely with @Spoolofwhool here. In fact, I've created a graphic to try and illustrate this: Dalinar occupies 8.7cm * 5.39cm ≈ 47cm². Kaladin occupies 8.86cm * 7.67cm - 4.63cm * 2.89cm ≈ 54.5cm². And Jasnah occupies 10.11cm * 4.96cm ≈ 50cm². So I think it's clear: of the three, Kaladin is the most attention hungry! The only real difference between the covers then is the background, with the first two depicting the Shattered Plains, and the third a wall; and this comes down to the locations of the respective scenes. I'd also point out that whilst all three characters are posed, out of all of them, only Jasnah is actually doing something constructive (repairing the wall so that the bad guys don't kill everyone). In short, I don't think there's any issue with the cover whatsoever, and I don't think that it should have been done any differently (of course I may be biased since Jasnah is my favourite character).

The strange part about your response here is that, whilst you claim that the different magic systems all have different rules that need not be consistent with one another, you seem convinced that each system has its own unique number associated with it. You seem to be striving for consistency, whilst at the same time decrying the need for it. Nevertheless, I felt that it was in a sense, very illuminating. It very neatly demonstrates why we seem to be disagreeing on so much: we don't seem to agree on the very fundamentals. The way I read this, your argument seems to be predicated on the following propositions: The various magic systems of the Cosmere are unrelated to each other. Each magic system in the Cosmere has a specific, distinct, and objectively correct classification schema associated with it. If I understand you correctly, then that would mean that you also disagree with @The One Who Connects' response, since that is inconsistent with the above propositions. On the first point, Brandon has said before that the magics of the Cosmere follow the same unified rules, therefore they can all be considered to be different aspects of the same magic system. Hence why I feel that we need to approach the various magics using the same logic: they are all following the same principles, even if it is not readily apparent. And on the second point, let's start with the assumption that there is a single correct way of classifying each of the magics. You seem pretty adamant that there must be 30 magic systems on Roshar because that's what Brandon said that there were (which indeed he did). The problem then arises is that he has categorised them differently as well: sometimes he says that there are 30 magic systems, other times three magic systems. Sometimes he classifies the Old Magic as a magic system, sometimes he says that it isn't a magic system. This can be extended to other worlds' magic systems as well, with him saying that Allomancy could be classed as its own system, or each misting power could be classed as its own system. He's even said that all 3 Metallic Arts could be considered the same system. In short, therefore, it can't be true to say that there is only one correct way to classify each magic system I'm putting relevant WoBs in the spoiler box to save space.

Well, Bondsmiths don't have access to the surge of Progression: only Truthwatchers and Edgedancers do, therefore it would be impossible for Gavilar to heal Dalinar like the Stump did. Bondsmiths get Tension and Adhesion. As for the possibility of Dalinar being a squire, I doubt it. Spoilers for The Thrill

Yet Harmony and the Kandra seem to be opposed to the use of Haemalurgy (or at least the creation of new spikes): just look at how they consider Spooks book. I was under the impression that they weren't creating new blessings because doing so would involve killing people. Brandon says here that it is the requirement of Haemalurgy that is the reason there won't be any more Kandra. Implying that if more people knew how to create the blessings there might be more of them. Naturally, Harmony must know how to create them, which implies that he would be unwilling to do so. That WoB is, however, very old at this point, so it might not be that reliable. Nevertheless, I don't think it's something that Harmony would do.

I didn't consider a Coppercloud: I'm not sure whether a Kandra using one would protect them from being controlled or not, to the best of my knowledge it's never been tested. I can see why it might protect him, though. The problem with this from the Lord Ruler's perspective would, of course, be that he'd have to be using a Coppercloud 100% of the time, and this would preclude him from ever Soothing or Rioting anyone. And then what if one of those early Allomancers were to discover duralumin, then they could potentially breach the Coppercloud. Another reason that the Lord Ruler might not have wanted to become a Kandra that's just occurred to me: he made every Feruchemist in existence (aside from himself of course) into a mistwraith or Kandra, and none of them retained their Feruchemical powers. He might have been able to find a way around this, of course, but it's possible that he couldn't have made himself into a Kandra and remained a Feruchemist. I don't think he could have: in order to make new Kandra you need Haemalurgic spikes, and I don't think that there's any way around creating new spikes that would avoid the stabby approach. During Brandon's Shadows of Self tour, I got the opportunity to ask him directly why they couldn't create new Kandra by spiking mistwraith with the spikes for dead Kandra. His response was that the main reason for this was mostly cultural: in other words, the Kandra don't like interacting with other Kandra's spikes. He did not say that they couldn't do this because there's no longer any mistwraith, or that there would be no need to do that because Harmony could just create new spikes out of thin air. Of course, since The Bands of Mourning contained that passage, the evidence now does indeed point to the mistwraith having gone extinct, but I like the idea that there could be some hidden away somewhere. By the way, please try not to double post. If there's something that you'd like to add after you've already posted, there is an edit button on your post which you can use.

Actually, they have been mentioned in The Bands of Mourning, chapter 12: This would suggest that you're correct in saying that they didn't survive. Of course, the scientists could be wrong, so who knows: they are at the very least, however, exceedingly rare. As for the Lord Ruler not making himself into a Kandra: I'm guessing that it's to do with him not wanting Ruin or any strong Allomancer (of which there would have been more than a few in the early days of the Final Empire) to be able to take control of him.